Retired British boxer Tony Bellew has taken a swipe at Netflix and Jake Paul ahead of the YouTuber’s bout with Mike Tyson, accusing the streaming giant of showing no concern for the former heavyweight champion’s health. Tyson, 57, is set to step back into the ring for his first professional fight in two decades on July 20, squaring off against a man 30 years his junior in Paul.
The match has received approval from the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation and will be fought over eight two-minute rounds with 14oz gloves, sparking widespread disapproval from ex-fighters who are worried about Tyson’s safety. Former WBC cruiserweight world champion Bellew, who featured in the film “Creed”, is among those expressing concern.
He has criticised Paul for insisting the fight be a sanctioned bout rather than an exhibition, stating he would “happily” face jail time for punching the influencer. “Mike is probably getting between £20million to £50million for this fight, I’m not going to lie, I’d do it,” Bellew confessed to BoyleSports.
“Everyone has got a price. But if Jake Paul hurts Mike Tyson it would absolutely kill me. If he hurt Mike Tyson and I then run into Jake Paul, I’d chin him, quite happily. I would even spend a couple weeks in the big house for that.
“It’s a sad, sad day. It’s not a professional contest really because only women fight two-minute rounds, men do not fight two minutes. But Jake Paul is so ——- pig-headed that he wants it to go on Mike Tyson’s record. Hopefully, Mike chins him and puts him to sleep in six or seven seconds.
“The age Tyson is at, he could be Jake Paul’s grandfather, so it’s sad really. It should have been left as an exhibition, the money would not have changed, why is Jake Paul fighting to have it on Mike Tyson’s record, the absolute —–?
“But that’s who he is, he’s after clout and fame. I just hope Mike has that one punch left in him. He will never lose that punch, he’s lost the snap and sharpness of it, but if he turns a right hand over and hits Jake Paul on the chin, the boy is going to sleep. But at 58 years old it’s ——- frightening, this is show business, this really isn’t boxing.”
Paul, who boasts a 9-1 record in boxing, is heavily favoured to triumph in the showdown at ATandT Stadium in Arlington, Texas. Tyson hasn’t entered the ring since his 2004 defeat to Kevin McBride, with the exception of an exhibition match with Roy Jones Jr.
Bellew suggests that the former unified heavyweight champion is being exploited. “I don’t think Netflix cares about Mike’s health, they generated $25 billion last year. Netflix doesn’t give a —- about Mike Tyson. They don’t give a monkey’s — about Mike. No one cares and the saddest part is, Mike knows that he’s been there, done it and got the T-shirt.”
